Advice on Texas

[new_texas_diva]

I will be moving from the midwest to Austin, Texas in a few months and I need some advice from all of you Texas residents.

I need to know about schools in Texas (UT and Texas State) and what the greek system is like there. Sene me a p.m. or e-mail me with any advice you may have! Thanks!!

[texas*princess]

Texas is HOT... at least 3/4 of the year in some places.. so be prepared for that... ESP. if you are planning on going thru recruitment in Texas.

Also, Texas highways get pretty crazy, so I hope you're a great driver, because the rest of us are not.

We have a ton of universities in state, and most of them are 3-4 hours away from each other (unless it's somewhere waaaaaaay out in the panhandle), so there are definitely plenty to choose from.

Welcome to Texas!

[Lindz928]

I live in Austin, so I can tell you some stuff about it. The summers are really hot, averaging in the mid to high 90's, and I hear that the winters are really mild. I have been told that sometimes you'll be able to wear shorts around Thanksgiving. I'll keep you posted on that in a few months, LOL.

The greek system is big at UT, and it's expensive (compared to A&M, where I went). I know that the system at TX State is pretty popular too, but I don't know too much else about it.

What is going to be bringing you to Texas? Are you going to go to school here?

I'll try to think of other things that you might want to know. If you have any specific questions, feel free to pm me! I hope you'll love it here as much as most of us do!

[lyrica9]

i grew up in austin, and lindz is right, the winters are pretty mild, although there are some major sweater weeks.

remember, driving on I-35 is not a good idea between 3pm and 7pm.
there are a lot of awesome local restaurants and other places that you should definitely check out, several in south central austin.

UT is a gi-normous campus, and its pretty diverse. I dont know much about their greek system, other than its of an average size, rather small considering the size of the school, and most of the houses are really spectacular.
the drag is a really awesome place on campus, with good shopping and eating opportunites.

all i know about Texas State is that its about 30 minutes from downtown austin at good traffic times.

southwestern university is just north of austin in georgetown, and i think its generally a smaller university than UT and TSU, and a bit more conservative.

basically austin is a fun town with lots of options for people with all kinds of different lifestyles/interests. if you have an specific questions, feel free to PM or IM me!!

[zuzu575]

you're making the right decision by staying in the hill country! it's the prettiest part of texas - but the summers are brutal. my brother went to Southwest (i'll never give in to calling it Texas State) and loved it - i think it's the best of the lot (Sam, Stephen F., SWT) good luck!

Texas is an awesome place to live. Its like we have our own little country here! The Austin/San Marcos area is a beautiful area to live. THe Greek systems at UT and TSU are both very strong, and have a great selection of houses to choose from. Good luck in your search and welcome to TEXAS!!!!

[dzandiloo]

[hijack] Just an FYI, and not meaning to be nit-picky (I don't care, myself), but I've been told by several Texas State University students/alums (formerly known as Southwest Texas State University, for our non-Texan GC'ers), that they prefer not to be referred to as TSU, as there are 2 universities in Texas who already go by that acronym (Texas Southern U & Tarleton State)...they prefer to be referred to as Texas State, if it must be shortened....[/hijack]

Anyway, Ditto to what everyone has said...I was born in Austin & the hill country is beautiful-especially in Spring. Greek life at both UT and Texas State is very enriching (2 of my brothers are alums - 1 from each school). I think it's becoming more competitive @ Texas State, but nowhere near the level of UT. If you want the big-school atmosphere, and want to be able to see your football team on TV after you graduate, UT is the place to go...education is first rate as well, but classes are huge (I'm told). Some folks don't like Austin b/c it tends to be considered a haven of liberals (dontcha love that word?). I personally love it.

Texas State is smaller (not to be confused with small) & closer knit, I think. Don't know much about athletics. The campus is pretty hilly from what I remember. San Marcos has more of a smallish town atmosphere (although it's grown alot)...surrounding are is beautiful like the rest of the hill country.

Hope you enjoy your new home!

[Lindz928]

Austin IS the most liberal city in Texas. It's where all the "hippies" live. BUT, I am a little bit conservative an have found that as long as you have an open mind, anyone can be happy here! I like to say that there is something here for everyone.

As far as the bar scene goes (not that you asked, but I'll tell ya anyway ), 6th street is LOTS of fun! There are also some popular places around campus. There's an awesome bar where all the greeks seem to congragate (read: cute frat guys hehe).

I think the bars in San Marcos close at midnight.

[kappaloo]

They aren't joking when they say its hot. When I was in Texas (late May) it was 36-38Celcius at 5pm everyday!! that's just insane

[MeezDiscreet]

Originally posted by Lindz928
Austin IS the most liberal city in Texas. It's where all the "hippies" live. BUT, I am a little bit conservative an have found that as long as you have an open mind, anyone can be happy here! I like to say that there is something here for everyone.

i actually HATE austin. every time i've been there, i've been treated bad. i can't help but think (although i don't want to think) that it has everything to do with my race. i would say my hometown of dallas and my current residence of houston is more liberal.

but, you all are right about the wetter. we only have 2 seasons in houston: HOT and HOTTER!!!

[lyrica9]

Originally posted by MeezDiscreet
i actually HATE austin. every time i've been there, i've been treated bad. i can't help but think (although i don't want to think) that it has everything to do with my race. i would say my hometown of dallas and my current residence of houston is more liberal.

but, you all are right about the wetter. we only have 2 seasons in houston: HOT and HOTTER!!!

really??! that's too bad! i think ive actually noticed more of that in the dallas area, than at home in austin...

[knight_shadow]

woops, double post

[knight_shadow]

yea, texas weather can get kinda shady sometimes. it'll go from 95 to like 45-50 in a matter of hours. and there aren't ever "light sprinkles," always giant rainstorms

as far as the austin area, i lived in a suburb of austin for 5 years before college and it was a pretty nice area. the nightlife is pretty cool, ideal for college party-goers and artsy types. plus, there are all the political things going on (since it's the capital)

the only downsides of austin are 1) size of the city and 2) size of the school. 1) once you've had your fill of the area, you're pretty much stuck unless you want to make the drive to one of the bigger cities (S.A. = about 2 hours, DFW = 3-3.5 hours, Houston = 3-4 hours). 2) UT is HUGE. lots of students on a small campus. and don't let me get started on I-35 traffic in austin texas state is smaller than texas, but still pretty big with 20,000+ students.

from what i understand, the greek system in austin is big but not all that. and i haven't really heard anything about texas state's greek system.

i go to UT-Arlington (dallas area) which is also a big school (25,000+) and an ok greek system. we have 28 GLOs, but none have massive enrollment, so i guess you could say we're kind of close knit. SMU (dallas) and TCU (fort worth) are another story. the greek systems pretty much dominate at those schools.

i think being a greek in texas is fun. there are dozens of schools (most of which are within driving distanct) that have greek systems, so you'll always be meeting new brothers/sisters, which is always fun

[new_texas_diva1]

Thank you everyone!

I am so nervous about leaving my friends and going to a new state! I went to Austin for a few weeks in the summer and fell in love with it! Its so beautiful there!

My mom's job is requiring her to transfer to Austin in a few weeks. I wont be going until January.

Thanks again for all of the advice!

[Aggie4Life]

just an FYI... you will need to think about securing references (commonly known as "recs") from alumna members of sororities before going through recruitment at most TX schools. if you are going to austin, i'm sure they have a great alumnae panhellenic that holds interest meetings in the spring so you can meet people and get on their list for references.

no one has talked up A&M too much yet, so give you the scoop. it's an awesome school and greek has really grown in the past few years. the sororities are really big size-wise and we had GREAT houses. it's a whole lot less expensive than being greek at UT.

texas state has a big party reputation, but i think the academics are getting tougher every year. A&M and UT are both pretty competitive.

Good luck in the Lone Star State! It's a great place to be, despite the heat!!